Purgatorio: Canto XXX
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When the
Septentrion of the highest heaven
(Which never either setting knew or rising,
Nor veil of other
cloud than that of
sin,
And which made every one
therein aware
Of his own duty, as the lower makes
Whoever turns the
helm to come to
port)
Motionless halted, the veracious people,
That came at first between it and the Griffin,
Turned themselves to the car, as to their peace.
And one of them, as if by Heaven commissioned,
Singing, "
Veni, sponsa, de Libano"
Shouted three times, and all the others after.
Even as the
Blessed at the final summons
Shall rise up quickened each one from his cavern,
Uplifting light the reinvested flesh,
So upon that
Celestial chariot
A hundred rose 'ad vocem tanti senis,'
Ministers and
messengers of life
eternal.
They all were saying, "
Benedictus qui venis,"
And, scattering flowers above and round about,
"
Manibus o date lilia plenis."
Ere now have I beheld, as day began,
The eastern hemisphere all
tinged with rose,
And the other heaven with fair
serene adorned;
And the sun's face, uprising,
overshadowed
So that by tempering influence of
vapours
For a long interval the eye sustained it;
Thus in the bosom of a cloud of
flowers
Which from those hands angelical ascended,
And downward fell again inside and out,
Over her snow-white veil with olive cinct
Appeared a lady under a green mantle,
Vested in colour of the living flame.
And my own spirit, that already now
So long a time had been, that in her presence
Trembling with awe it had not stood abashed,
Without more knowledge having by mine eyes,
Through occult virtue that from her proceeded
Of ancient love the mighty influence felt.
As soon as on my vision smote the power
Sublime, that had already pierced me through
Ere from my boyhood I had yet come forth,
To the left hand I turned with that
reliance
With which the little child runs to his
mother,
When he has fear, or when he is afflicted,
To say unto
Virgilius: "Not a
drachm
Of blood remains in me, that does not tremble;
I know the traces of the ancient flame."
But us
Virgilius of himself deprived
Had left,
Virgilius, sweetest of all fathers,
Virgilius, to whom I for safety gave me:
Nor whatsoever lost the ancient mother
Availed my cheeks now purified from
dew,
That weeping they should not again be darkened.
"
Dante, because
Virgilius has
departed
Do not weep yet, do not weep yet awhile;
For by another sword thou need'st must weep."
E'en as an
admiral, who on
poop and
prow
Comes to behold the people that are working
In other ships, and cheers them to well-doing,
Upon the left hand border of the car,
When at the sound I turned of my own name,
Which of necessity is here recorded,
I saw the Lady, who erewhile appeared
Veiled underneath the angelic festival,
Direct her eyes to me across the river.
Although the veil, that from her head descended,
Encircled with the foliage of
Minerva,
Did not permit her to appear distinctly,
In attitude still royally
majestic
Continued she, like unto one who speaks,
And keeps his warmest utterance in reserve:
"Look at me well; in sooth I'm
Beatrice!
How didst thou deign to come unto the
Mountain?
Didst thou not know that man is happy here?"
Mine eyes fell downward into the
clear fountain,
But, seeing myself therein, I sought the grass,
So great a shame did weigh my forehead down.
As to the son the mother seems superb,
So she appeared to me; for somewhat bitter
Tasteth the savour of severe compassion.
Silent became she, and the Angels sang
Suddenly, "
In te, Domine, speravi:"
But beyond '
pedes meos' did not pass.
Even as the snow among the living
rafters
Upon the back of
Italy congeals,
Blown on and drifted by
Sclavonian winds,
And then, dissolving, trickles through itself
Whene'er the land that loses shadow breathes,
So that it seems a fire that melts a taper;
E'en thus was I without a tear or
sigh,
Before the song of those who sing for ever
After the music of the
eternal spheres.
But when I heard in their sweet melodies
Compassion for me, more than had they said,
"O wherefore, lady, dost thou thus upbraid him?"
The ice, that was about my heart congealed,
To air and water changed, and in my
anguish
Through mouth and eyes came gushing from my breast.
She, on the right-hand border of the car
Still firmly standing, to those holy
beings
Thus her discourse directed
afterwards:
"Ye keep your watch in the
eternal day,
So that nor night nor sleep can
steal from you
One step the ages make upon their
path;
Therefore my answer is with greater care,
That he may hear me who is weeping yonder,
So that the
sin and
dole be of
one measure.
Not only by the work of those great wheels,
That destine every seed unto some end,
According as the stars are in conjunction,
But by the largess of
Celestial graces,
Which have such lofty vapours for their rain
That near to them our sight approaches not,
Such had this man become in his new life
Potentially, that every
righteous habit
Would have made admirable proof in him;
But so much more
malignant and more savage
Becomes the
land untilled and with bad seed,
The more good earthly
vigour it possesses.
Some time did I sustain him with my look;
Revealing unto him my youthful eyes,
I led him with me turned in the right way.
As soon as ever of my second age
I was upon the threshold and changed life,
Himself from me he took and gave to others.
When from the
flesh to spirit I ascended,
And beauty and virtue were in me increased,
I was to him less dear and less delightful;
And into ways untrue he turned his steps,
Pursuing the false images of
good,
That never any promises fulfil;
Nor prayer for inspiration me
availed,
By means of which in dreams and otherwise
I called him back, so little did he heed them.
So low he fell, that all
appliances
For his
salvation were already short,
Save showing him the people of perdition.
For this I visited the
gates of
death,
And unto him, who so far up has led him,
My intercessions were with weeping
borne.
God's lofty
fiat would be
violated,
If
Lethe should be passed, and if such
viands
Should tasted be, withouten any
scot
Of
penitence, that
gushes forth
in tears."
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